Many different types of machines use mechanisms for feeding one article at a time out of a supply magazine. With specific reference to the art of manufacturing cardboard boxes of the Bliss type, the machines involved have three supply magazines for handling one stack of pre-formed body blanks and two magazines of pre-formed end panels. The presently preferred embodiment of my invention is especially adapted to use with an end panel magazine of a Bliss box making machine and, accordingly, will be disclosed and described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that the invention has utility in the dispensing mechanisms of other types of machines.
Bliss box machines of the kind in which the automatic feed, end panel supply magazine of the present invention can be employed are disclosed in Moen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,116 and Goodrich U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,930. In the layout of both patented machines the preformed end panels are supported in their supply magazines in a horizontal row, that is, the individual end panels are in substantially vertical planes congruently superimposed or stacked in the horizontal direction along straight line in-feed axes. In the arrangement of the latter patent, a spring means is employed to bias the horizontal stack inwardly, the spring force being transmitted to the supply stack of panels by a framework slidably mounted on the magazine base framework. In the arrangement of the former patent, a chain conveyor drive system is utilized, driven through a one-way clutch mechanism powered by a single-acting fluid pressure actuator. In both patented arrangements, the driving mechanisms are relatively complex in having supporting and operating elements thereof distributed around the total framework of the end panel supply magazine.